The Fractional Self(ie)
TWO new podcasts, plus a long, dark, jet-lagged night of the soul, & more
The Virtual Memories Show News
A 2x/week email about a podcast about books & life
Podcastery
This week, I posted Episode 661 of my Virtual Memories Show, with comics journalist Josh Neufeld joining the show to talk about the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the legacy of his fantastic graphic reporting of the lives upended by that catastrophe, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge (Pantheon). We talk about his new ‘zine followup, Beyond A.D., how the storm inspired him to become an emergency response volunteer and what he learned when he was stationed in Biloxi, what it was like to learn journalism and reporting on the fly and integrate those with his comics storytelling skills, and why his goal with A.D. was to make a people’s history. We get into how he viewed the anniversary, whether he’s gone back to New Orleans since reporting on it, and how he stayed connected with his subjects after the project and what it was like putting the anniversary ‘zine together. We also discuss his comics upbringing, what it was like drawing for Harvey Pekar after years of American Splendor fandom, how neither of us have the lying gene necessary for fiction, his interest in graphic medicine and how that shapes his recent comics, the difference between journalism and nonfiction, a couple of my Small Press Expo anecdotes, how Michael Jordan’s minor league baseball experience helps explain why comics people (usually) treat newbies well, and more. Give it a listen! And go read A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge and Beyond A.D.!
Late last week I bonus-posted Episode 660, with cartoonist-playwright-filmmaker Dean Haspiel rejoining the show for the homestretch of his new Kickstarter, ANTIMATTER (finishing Nov. 3, 2025), and bringing his studio mate Whitney Matheson along to talk about her new story collection, THE FEELING. We talked about how Dino got the idea for a one-man anthology to contain all the characters & stories of his Dino-verse, new models for funding creative projects, and how promotion can be tough when you accidentally get banned on Instagram. They gave me creative advice to help me get through my own book project, talked about their lessons from crowdfunding and self-publishing, and came up with a great idea for a new book, while we coped with some technical difficulties. Give it a listen! And go contribute to ANTIMATTER and read THE FEELING!
Last week I posted Episode 659, in which Ron Rosenbaum returned to the show to celebrate his new book, BOB DYLAN: Things Have Changed (A Kind Of Biography) (Melville House Press). We talked about how his lifetime fandom of Dylan led to this book, the week he spent with Dylan in the ’70s for a Playboy interview, what our response to Dylan’s songs say about us, and how he got over his sense of betrayal when Dylan joined a Jesus-cult for a few years. We got into his insight into Dylan’s Nobel acceptance and the Rosebud-moment therein, the question of theodicy and Dylan’s argument with God, Ron’s experience falling in love with someone to Dylan’s songs, and how Dylan’s post-Jesus songwriting methods became a reflection of his One-Mind consciousness. We also discussed authenticity vs. sincerity, the discontinuity of being, the impact of Salinger & Dylan on American language and outlook, Ron’s top 20-ish of Dylan’s songs, the 4+-hour movie Dylan made in the ’70s and how it may have led to his crack-up (and why Ron thinks it should be reissued), and more.
Recent episodes: Lance Richardson • Tom Tomorrow • Kayla E • Hunter Prosper • M.L. Rio • David Leopold • Dmitry Samarov
The Fractional Self(ie)
Frankfurt, day 2 of trade show ahead. It was a really rough night for me, and I’ve got nothing for you.
Day 1 was good: schmoozed, pitched, caught up with people from 10am-6pm without a break. Didn’t eat a thing for almost 12 hours, but that’s trade show metabolism for you.
Early on, my buddy Joel took one of his patented “double-selfies in which he’s barely present.” He usually shows even less face than this. I look whatever.
I spoke on a panel, and later in the day I had a good conversation with another pal about our fathers’ deaths, 10 days apart this summer.
This morning, after that awful night, I checked out Instagram during breakfast, and saw a message request; it was a new follower who wanted me to know how much they’ve enjoyed the podcast over the past 18 months and how many great cartoonists’ work it’s turned them on to. That brightened my morning.
I wish I had anything more/better to share with you, but it’s best that I put this behind me.
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Instaxery
No new Instax this time, but I hope to take some during my travels later this week.
Artistry
Didn’t draw anything this week, though I hope to do that, too. You should go to the Flickr album of most of the art I’ve made & find something you like.
Postcardery
Let me know if you want to be on my postcard-a-day list. (Financial supporters of the podcast get a hand-drawn or painted postcard as a thank-you.)
Until Next Time
Thanks for reading this far. I’ll be back on Sunday with links, books, & workout-/meditation-craziness, and on Wednesday with a new episode, and maybe some more art & new Instaxes. (From London, if all goes according to whatever.)
My wife expects me to hang myself / In a hotel one night /
So I keep living / Out of something like spite,